Rhonda Harigle was stopped by a visitor here to see a friend hospitalized on the acute care unit. The visitor complained of not feeling well and asked Rhonda if she would check her blood pressure. Rhonda did not hesitate to assist our guest. Upon checking her blood pressure, she found a systolic reading greater than 200 and a diastolic reading greater than 100. Realizing this is a dangerously high reading coupled with a guest being symptomatic, she dialed 911 to initiate emergency care. She alerted her nurse manager of what was occurring and remained with the visitor until the ambulance service arrived.
Rhonda could have easily walked away or told the visitor, "We only take care of Veterans here," but she didn't. Ms. Harigle went beyond her daily routine to be a good Samaritan. In doing so, she has displayed the qualities of a caring person and an awesome VA Nurse, integrity, commitment, advocacy, respect, and excellence. Thank you, Rhonda, for being the wonderful person you are; and the compassionate nurse we are fortunate to work with every day! You totally rock!